Taurean: Can you tell me about your fellow pet friends? What are they like?

Swinebert: Sure! We’ve got tons of them, but the ones we’re most tight with our next door neighbors: Clarke, a Jack-Russell mix (OBSESSED with aviation and motorcycles), and his feline roomies, Chuck and Lilac.

(Left, Clark, Right, Chuck and Lilac – Neighbors)

Swinebert: There are the squirrels who live in our backyard. At first, we were enemies after the prize acorns that grow in the many oak trees in our backyard. We’ve long since resolved that and became friends.

It took them a lot longer to warm up to Dempsey, his being a cat and all, they worried he’d try to hunt them down, but

(The Backlot Squirrels – From Left to Right:

Little Wally, Mac, Hazel, and Filbert)

Swinebert: We also have plenty of family who live in White Oak Acres. While we of course consider our humans (and their kin) family, I’m talking about our non-human relations-

(Swinebert’s Nephew, Trug)

Swinebert: For me there’s my darling nephew, Trug, as our regulars know, and his folks: my brother, Ross, and my sis-in-law, Flair. My Ma, Pa and two kid sisters live back on the ranch where I was born. I video chat with them three times a week, and we visit each other when we can.

My Grand-Hog Wes lives at the ranch, too, but he’s always traveling, even at his age, he rarely slows down. I hope I’m that gutsy in my golden years!

Dempsey: For me, most of the Woyzeck clan live in various parts of the U.S. and Europe. I have to give a nod to my Uncle Briggs, my dad’s adoptive hedgehog brother. He lives in another town, but visits us often.

(Left, Dominic, Dempsey’s Dad. Right, Dempsey’s Uncle Briggs)

On that note, my sister Nina’s also adopted, but she’s not a cat, or a hedgehog-she’s a goat.

(The Woyzeck Family – From Left to Right:Dempsey, Langley, Nina, Dominic and Claire)

Taurean: Sure, please proceed.

I also love shows that have food at the center: Antique Bakery, Toriko, and I’m So PSYCHED that Yakitate Japan’s anime is coming stateside!

Dempsey : For my part I LOVE shows where you learn stuff, like “Modern Marvels.” and “Bill Nye The Science Guy” DVDs that’s both fun and informative. But I also love fun documenterary-style series stuff like “Unlikely Animal Friends.” If you think Swinebert and me are an “Odd Couple”, some of the unions formed between varting species are even more out there, and seriously, I’m surprised Disney hasn’t optioned some of these stories for film.

They need to do more of the cool animal films they had in the 60s, 80s and 90s again!Anway, my girfriend Celeine and I are both big fans of “Too Cute” and “Inuyasha.”

Taurean: So what are some shows you both like?

Swinebert: We’re both fans of “Sailor Moon”

(we’re both die hard romantics),

Naurto, One Piece,Avatar: The Last Airbender

(the non-James Cameron version)

and “The Legend of Korra.”

Taurean: What books do you think would make a great film or animated series that don’t yet have one?

Swinebert: Otter, like you, D and I are big fans, we first met Otter on Twitter (@i_am_otter), and we’re looking forward to her two books in 2015!

Even though Otter turned him down(and he’s still perplexed about why she offered instead to set him up with Giraffe…)I was nevertheless impressed with his courage. The game of love, despite how cynical, comical and downright trvial we portray it, is NOT a game for wimps.

Like most things in life, it takes the guts of an olympian athlete, the , and the blindless optomism that’s easier for kids like Trug(with so much life ahead of him)than folks like me, who while nowhere near my final years, sometimes have a harder time keeping the faith.

After all, I’ve had many crushes, a couple serious relationships, yet nothing steady at the moment.

As I said then and still stand by now, he’ll make the one who finally does look his way a happy mate.

For my own part, I still believe that I will find a sweetie sow who makes my piggy heart skip a beat, and feeling my trotters are strolling on clouds.

While it’s never fun to come up short: be that flunking a test you actually studied for, , or as in in Trug’s case “Not getting the girl’“

Dempsey: “Varjak Paw” needs to be a movie, and an awesome one! I like how the book has the action of “Warriors” but does it’s own thing.

But I’d be open to an animated series if it was done right and they don’t stretch the story too thin in an episodic format.

Apparently, it was optioned at one point,

but nothing came of it.

Someone PLEASE make this film (or animated series) before I’m out of my nine lives!

(Covers for “Varjak Paw” and

“The Outlaw Varjak Paw”)

(Panel By Panel: with Swinebert & Dempsey Logo)

Taurean: As some T.A.A. fans know, we just launched “Panel by Panel” our comics/graphic novel column where you guys, and myself, review titles and discuses trends and opinions about this vibrant medium.

(Steven Universe Intro –

Cartoon Network on YouTube)

[The Literary Rat DARES you to sing-along…]

Taurean: I know on Facebook, you’ve professed your love for “Steven Universe.” I’m a fan, too, and I recently checked out the comics put out by “BOOM Studios“, and I was skeptical at first, but they blew me away!

Swinebert: We felt the same way at first, though we were excited when we first learned about them last summer (before new episodes of the series resumed after a LONG break where we feared it was canceled) , we’ve been burned by bad comic versions of television shows or films we love.

But when we heard what you had to say about the comics, we gave them a go for ourselcves. As a fellow “Steventhusiast” we knew we could trust your vouching for them.

(Steven Universe: Comics #1-#5, BOOM Studios)

Dempsey: We’ve read the first 5 books and knew we had to review these for “Panel by Panel” so you’ll have to wait and see what we thought…

To Be Continued…

Check back next Sunday for part 3 of my chat with Swinebert & Dempsey…

You’ll learn more about what they’re planning just for T.A.A. fans! A sneak peak of what they’re working on next, and a whole lot more!